it is a wonderful truth that the angels in heaven
love our children – indeed, all children – and we can take great comfort
that at the moment of our baptism, when we are received into the body of
our lord jesus christ, and he provides each one of us with a guardian
angel. this angel remains with us throughout our lives, watching over
us, in the same way that we each benefit from the prayers and loving
care of our patron saint, after whom we are named at our baptism. the
hosts of heaven love and care for us!

i would like to now share with you the daily prayer
to our guardian angel:

prayer to the guardian angel

o holy angel of god, guardian and protector
of my soul and body, pray that i may be forgiven
for every transgression i have committed this day.

deliver me from all evil influences and temptations,
so that i may not anger my god by any sin.
pray for me that the lord may make me worthy of his grace
and to become partaker of his eternal kingdom. with the help
of the blessed virgin mary and of all the saints. amen.

to be great partakers of the eternal kingdom that
our god has promised to us, we must begin with prayer, offering our true
love for him and those who dwell within his kingdom. because of our
lord’s great and eternal love for us, he has ordered his holy angles to
be our guardians, as we read in st. matthew chapter 18, when in response
to the question “who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven”, jesus
took a little child and said “unless you are converted and become as
little children you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest
in the kingdom heaven”. in verse 10 jesus goes on, “take heed
that you do dot despise one these little ones, for i say to you that in
heaven their angels always see the face of my father who is in heave.”
our lord jesus in this verse makes it absolutely clear that in
heaven the angels have been assigned to us –their angels and that these angels are
always in his presence. christ also identified himself with little
children saying, in verse 5, “whosever receives one little child like
this in my name receives me.”

we have the assurance, then that since our lord god
loves us, he loves all of the children, your children –every
child, everywhere! every child is protected under the wings of a
guardian angel and their patron saint. when your child is going through
any difficulty or having any health problems, our lord god is quick to
respond. “let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them,
for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (st. matthew 19:14). here is
the foundation of spiritual education and christian understanding –
letting the children come to our lord and savior jesus christ. it is
because of his arms wrapped around each child in love that the angels
love and protect children.

so when your beloved child walks out the door of
your house, or goes to school (including sunday school) or goes outside
to play, be assured that our lord god watches over your beloved child,
just as he has commanded both the child’s guardian angel and patron
saint to do.

even as we get older what continues to remain in us
and with is the love of lord god. he never leaves us or forsakes us. he
continues to watch over us, even in the most difficult times, whether in
illness, or during any of lives struggles. god is with us, and cares
about us. what a loving god we have, who sends us not only the comfort
of the holy spirit, but even provides us with the further blessings of a
guardian angel and our patron saint whose prayers for us are always
rising to the throne of grace.

let us then walk with our god, our guardian angel,
and our patron saint, and ask for their guidance and strength.

humbly in christ our lord,
+very rev. archimandrite nektarios serfes
who prays for you and with you!
boise, id, usa